Leaders and Best…right?

The University of Michigan is known to claim that their students are the leaders and best in the world. Within the structure of our courses, we are taught how to lead a team and make executive decisions and be quick thinkers. What does it really mean to be a leader? I don’t want you all to think that the best leaders are just good at telling people what do to and making choices for everyone – at least that’s not the type of leader I would want to follow and that’s certainly not the type of leader I want to be.

The best leaders lead by example. Meaning they are just telling a group “do this,” but they are right there with the group engaging in that work with the group… Meaning they are not afraid to go in a direction that is contrary to popular opinion… Meaning they are good at listening, because they need to listen to the voice of the people in order to know what needs to fulfill and how... Meaning they have the mentality of a teacher and a mentor and they are not aimless guiding people without educating people of the importance of their mission/plan.

On another note, as important as it is to be able to lead, it is just as important to be able to follow. Imagine a world full of leaders and no followers. That simply wouldn’t work. In order to grow, we must learn. And we learn a lot by listening to what others have to say. Leading by example involves listening to others, showing people that it is good to listen and that it is good to understand that “different” does not mean “bad.” Leading by example is how a leader illustrates through his/her actions how one is to “do life,” as my mentor, Abbey Swanson, says. And we all know that if a person puts actions behind their words, people know they can take that person seriously.

So, I charge everyone who considers themselves leaders, to be the best kind of leaders there are, leading with humility and open hearts.